U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,781 describes a device of that type, in which the applicator element includes a flocked mesh.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,317 describes a device in which the applicator element includes a groove that makes it possible to collect excess composition that is present on the application face.
In addition, international application WO 02/085733 discloses a device including a support and a compressible applicator element that is mounted in stationary manner on a face of the support. An annular groove is formed between the support and the face of the applicator element that faces said support, so as to impart increased flexibility to the peripheral region of the applicator element.
Known devices for applying makeup to the lips are not entirely satisfactory.
In particular, during application, the composition can accumulate on the periphery of the applicator element, which can lead to makeup not being applied as uniformly as desired, in particular with highly colored compositions having an appearance that is very dependent on the quality of the deposit formed on the lips.